A clinic owner
pleaded guilty today for her participation in a Detroit-area Medicare
fraud scheme.

Dora Binimelis, 53, of Miami, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge
Arthur J. Tarnow in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of
conspiracy to commit health care fraud. At sentencing, Binimelis faces a
maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the plea documents, Binimelis was an owner of Blessed
Medical Clinic, which purported to be a medical clinic that specialized
in diagnostic testing. Binimelis admitted that the clinic defrauded
Medicare by billing for expensive and medically unnecessary tests. The
owners and operators of Blessed paid patient recruiters, who paid cash
bribes to Medicare beneficiaries. In exchange for the cash bribes, the
beneficiaries agreed to attend the clinic where they provided their
Medicare provider numbers and other information, which was used to bill
Medicare for unnecessary tests and services. According to her plea,
Binimelis knew that the purpose of the clinic was not to treat sick
patients, but to make money by defrauding Medicare. Binimelis provided
diagnostic testing equipment and the capital infusion to open Blessed.
In exchange for her contributions, she received a share of the Medicare
fraud proceeds. According to court documents, Blessed billed Medicare
$2.4 million for medically unnecessary diagnostic tests.

Todayís
guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer
of the Justice Departmentís Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the
Eastern District of Michigan Barbara L. McQuade; Special Agent in Charge
Andrew G. Arena of the FBIís Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in
Charge Lamont Pugh III of the HHS Office of Inspector Generalís (OIG)
Chicago Regional Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Ross
of the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from Acting
Assistant Chief Benjamin D. Singer of the Criminal Divisionís Fraud
Section. The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was
brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the
Criminal Divisionís Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorneyís Office for the
Eastern District of Michigan.